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A new species of Lissanthe R.Br. (Epacridaceae) from Queensland A.R. Bean Summary Bean, A.R. (2001). A new species of Lissanthe R.Br. (Epacridaceae) from Queensland. Austrobaileya 6(1): 99-102. Lissanthe brevistyla, a new species from the serpentinite deposits near Rockhampton, is described and illustrated. It is compared to related taxa, and notes on the conservation status are provided. Key words: Lissanthe brevistyla, Lissanthe, Epacridaceae, sepentinite, Queensland flora, taxonomy. A.R. Bean, Queensland Herbarium, Environmenal Protection Agency, Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Queensland 4066, Australia. Introduction The serpentinite geological deposits near are unusually wide and thick (Fig. lc, Id). Marlborough, north of Rockhampton contain a high proportion of rare or endemic plant The only other Queensland taxon species, some of which are very restricted in currently ascribed to Lissanthe is L. strigosa distribution (Batianoff etal. 2000). The species subsp. subulata (R.Br.) J.M.Powell (Powell & under consideration here came to notice only Wiecek 1994). However, Powell (1992) recently, and only after a mining lease had been foreshadowed the transfer of some species of established over the area of its occurrence. Leucopogon R.Br. to Lissanthe, namely Leucopogon pedicellatus and L. pleiospermus. A revision of the whole of Epacridaceae Determinavit slips at BRI annotated by Powell is being undertaken at the National Herbarium indicate a similar position for Leucopogon of New South Wales by Elizabeth Brown and pluriloculatus. While these species have the colleagues. Since the results of this revision are densely hairy corolla lobes, traditionally some years away, the opportunity is taken here indicative of Leucopogon, they otherwise to describe this rare Queensland epacrid. conform to the characteristics of Lissanthe. The new species shares with Lissanthe Taxonomy R.Br. the following features: spicate inflorescence on terminal growth (not on old Lissanthe brevistyla A.R.Bean sp. nov. affinis wood), with flowers subtended by a solitary L. strigosae autem inflorescentia persistent bract and two bracteoles; the terminali spicata, pedicellis brevioribus, bracteoles somewhat removed from the sepals; stylo ovarioque glabro, fructibus the inner surface of the corolla tube glabrous grandioribus purpureocyaneis differt. in the lower half, but hairy towards the throat; Typus: Queensland. Port Curtis the corolla lobes valvate in bud; and the 5-7- District: Gumigil Mining Lease, 16.5 km locular drupaceous fruits. and 189° from Marlborough Motel on The generic placement is not certain, as Bruce Highway, 17 November 1999,1.G. this taxon belongs to a group of closely related Champion 1569 & B. Tangey (holo: BRI; genera that include Lissanthe, Cyathodes s. lat., iso: NSW). Acrotriche and some Leucopogon spp. (Brown Spreading shrub to 1.5 m high and 2.5 m across. and Crayn, pers. comm.). The pedicel lacks the Branchlets puberulous. Leaves lanceolate to degree of elongation usually associated with narrowly lanceolate, 10-25 x 1.8-3 mm, species of the genus Lissanthe, and the filaments glabrous, dark green and flat to convex above, Accepted for publication 20 April 2001 whitish below, usually 7-veined, tapering into a pungent point 0.8-1.3 mm long, margins 100 Austrobaileya 6(1): 99-102 (2001) Fig.l. Lissanthe brevistyla. A. flowering branchlet x 0.8. B. side view of flower showing the persistent bract (each subtending a flower), one (of two) bracteoles, sepals and corolla tube x 16. C. internal view of flower x 16. D. lateral view of stamen x 32. E. leaf, abaxial surface x 4. F. mature fruit x 4. G. transverse section of endocarp of fruit x 8. A, Champion 1570 & Tangey, B-E, Champion 1554 & Tangey, F, G, Champion 1565 & Tangey (all BRI). Del. W. Smith. Bean, Lissanthe 101 entire, 7-9 vascular bundles per leaf; petiole Distribution and habitat: Endemic to the 0.8-1.5 mm long. Inflorescence a dense Marlborough area of central coastal auxotelic spike, up to 25 mm long, comprising Queensland. It is confined to steep hillsides in 18-26 bisexual flowers, in the axils of the woodland dominated by Eucalyptus fibrosa uppermost leaves or apparently terminal. F.Muell. and E. xanthope Brooker & A.R.Bean, Rachis puberulous. Pedicels obscure. and may be associated with other shrub species Subtending bract orbicular, c. 1 x 1 mm, such as Hakea trineura F.Muell., Pimelea sparsely puberulous to glabrous, persistent. leptospermoides F.Muell. and Leucopogon Bracteoles 2, persistent, 0.7-1.1 mm long, cuspidatus R.Br. It grows in red gravelly soil keeled, obtuse, ciliolate, placed just below but or on stony scree, derived from ultramafic not or scarcely overlapping the sepals. Sepals rocks. 5, imbricate, broadly ovate, 0.5-1 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, apex obtuse, margins Phenology: Flowers and fruits are recorded for ciliolate. Corolla white or pink; tube urceolate, November. 1.8-2.6 mm long, far exceeding sepals, glabrous externally, with long, flexuose, very Affinities: L. brevistyla differs fromL. strigosa sparse to moderately dense hairs internally ssp. subulata by its almost sessile flowers, towards distal end; lobes 5, valvate in bud, shorter style (relative to corolla tube length), triangular, 0.7-0.9 mm long, acute, spreading the larger purple-blue fruits (small and white or recurved, glabrous externally, with long, for subulata), and glabrous style and ovary flexuose, sparse hairs on inner surface. Stamens (densely hairy for subulata). 5, alternating with corolla lobes. Filaments 0.4— 0.5 mm long, 0.25-0.3 mm wide and thick, Of the species currently under hairy at base. Anthers free, brown, 0.4-0.6 mm Leucopogon, L. brevistyla most resembles long, slightly exserted from corolla tube, Leucopogon pedicellatus, as they both have a dorsifixed, attached above their middle onto the glabrous style and ovary, and a style shorter filaments. Ovary glabrous, 6 or7-locular, each than the corolla tube. However, L. pedicellatus locule containing 1 ovule. Style terminal on the has longer pedicels, and much longer and more ovary summit, terete, 0.5-0.7 mm long, much pilose corolla lobes. shorter than corolla tube; stigma small. Mature fruits globose to depressed-globose, 4-6 mm Conservation status: Applying the criteria of long, 4-6.5 mm diameter, smooth (when fresh), the IUCN (Anon. 1994), a category of style persistent, pedicel 1-1.5 mm long; ‘vulnerable’ is proposed (Criteria B1, B2 (b, c)). pericarp glabrous, purple-blue in colour; Notes: This species is undoubtedly mesocarp fleshy; endocarp woody, ribbed, not lignotuberous, as it grows in a very fire-prone separating into pyrenes. Fig. 1. area. It may spread vegetatively (by rhizomes), Specimens examined: Queensland. Port Curtis District: as dense clumps covering more than 10 m2 have SF 114, site 4, Mt Fairview, 65 km NW of Rockhampton, been observed (I. Champion pers. comm.). Dec 1998, Batianoff 981222 et al. (BRI); Poachers Gully, Gumigil Mining Lease, 16.2 km and 185° from Etymology: From the Latin brevi- short and Marlborough Motel on Bruce Highway, Nov 1999, stylus- style, referring to the style which is Champion 1544 & Tangey (BRI); ‘Magpie’, 17.6 km and shorter than in related species. 171° from Marlborough Motel on Bruce Highway, Nov 1999, Champion 1554 & Tangey (BRI, MEL); ‘Currawong’ on Gumigil’s Ramilies Lease, 19.4 km and 167° from Acknowledgements Marlborough Motel on Bruce Highway, Nov 1999, Champion 1557 & Tangey (BRI, CANB); Gumigil Mining Thanks are due to Irene Champion for making Lease, 16.5 km and 189° from Marlborough Motel on Bruce special collections of this species, to Will Smith Highway, Nov 1999, Champion 1570 & Tangey (BRI); for the illustrations, and Les Pedley for the Latin Marlborough Ck, 25 km SW of Marlborough, Nov 1997, McCabe s.n. (BRI). diagnosis. 102 Austrobaileya 6(1): 99-102 (2001) References Anonymous (1994). IUCN Red List Categories. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources: Switzerland. Batianoff, G.N., Neldner, VJ. & Singh, S. (2000). Vascular Plant Census and Floristic Analysis of Serpentine Landscapes in Central Queensland. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 109: 1-30. Powell, J.M. (1992). Lissanthe, in GW.Harden (ed.), Flora of New South Wales 3: 417-9. Sydney: New South Wales University Press. Powell, J.M. & Wiecek, B.M. (1994). Morphological variation in Lissanthe strigosa (Epacridaceae) in New South Wales. Telopea 5(4): 735—41.